Key To The Past
by Eman1314
Summary: Stuck with a puzzle of letters from her late mother, Lucy is lead to a town where she meets Natsu, The Demon King, and life as she knows it falls apart. Dragged into a battle she has no part in, she is forced to face untold horrors in a world where magic exists and nightmares are real. But, as she becomes more involved, Lucy realizes that this was perhaps where she truly belonged.


_Where you go—_

The bus moved along slowly, passing by fields of colorful flowers and a bright blue sky. A girl sat on the bus, head pressed against the cool window, backpack at her side, a small jar held tightly in her grasp. Long blonde hair fell down her back, chocolate brown eyes taking in the scenery with distant admiration. She was stiff lipped, quiet for the entire ride. A silent, beautiful ghost.

_What you do—_

Natsu woke with a start. He sat up in his grand bed, completely naked, a blanket half sprawled over his form. His pink hair was messy from sleep, eyes dark and tired. They brightened when he heard the sound that had awoken him. A small _thunk_, rattling in one of his drawers.

_Will be something fantastic, I'm sure._

Lucy climbed off the bus, issuing a quiet goodbye. She slung her backpack over her shoulder, jar held steadily in her arms. She looked around the small, quaint town. The letters she had read did it little justice. She felt herself torn from her studious revere, her inner writer squealing at the sight of such a scenic area. Small but welcoming, the streets filled with hearty, smiling people. She followed up the road, taking in the bakeries and shops, open and ready for business. She stopped in front of a small inn, called _The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel_. Through the front door, a cheery white haired woman greeted her, introducing herself as Mira. Lucy nodded along politely, keeping up with the conversation as best she could until the woman extended a key. She took it gladly, and made her way up to her room, where she promptly collapsed on the bed.

_You are doing the right thing._

Natsu jumped from his bed, pulling on a shirt as quickly as he could, leaving his bottom half bare. He didn't care. He rushed to his dresser, tossing aside the papers and spell books in a rush, tearing open drawers. He found the small black box he was looking for, and he gently lifted the top, the sound growing louder.

_You've been stuck this way for too long._

Lucy turned over on the bed, staring at the red jar she had placed on one of the pillows. Her hands absently drifted towards her bag, pulling out a bundle of papers. They were written in elegant handwriting, crammed full of years of life and stories. She'd read it a thousand times already, but her eyes took in the words like it was the first time seeing them. She read it again, and it brought tears to the corners of her eyes. She skipped over the parts that she had memorized, searching for the small address at the bottom of the page. When she found it, she gently set the papers back down, picked up the urn, and headed out the door.

_You deserve this. To be free._

Natsu lifted the lid carefully, his fingers shaking. His whole body was shaking at this point, but he was too focused to notice. Setting the lid aside, he took in the small object, which had stopped its shuffling at his approach. A key, golden even in the dark lighting, a small red ribbon tied to it. With great care, Natsu scooped the key up, warm in his hands, and lifted it to his lips. He held it tightly, both hands clasped around it in a sort of prayer, and whispered the words that had haunted him for a hundred years.

_To grow, to find yourself—_

Lucy meandered down the streets. She didn't need to ask for directions—the notes she'd read had described the town perfectly. She knew where the little coffee shop was, the butcher's station, the police center. Still, seeing it and reading it were two different things. Lucy felt surreal, taking in the things she had only read about. A festival of sorts was going on, people walking around and trading goods for trinkets. Lucy swayed past them, her destination rising before her like a great monument. She swept towards it.

_The time is right._

Natsu tugged on his pants and boots. He stood up and grabbed his black jacket, swishing it around his shoulders in a grandeur of excitement he hadn't felt in a very long time. He took his scarf off it's hold, the only white thing in his black ensemble, and wrapped it carefully around his neck. He smirked, holding the key tightly in his hand. His limb was covered in a translucent flame, but he nor the key would be harmed. It was a testament to his excitement as he smirked and made his way up a set of dingy stairs.

_You have this adventure_

Lucy stepped under the arch, finally able to take in the full force of the building before her. She paused, bringing a hand up to block the sun. She felt laughter and incredibility build in her chest like bubbles. It was huge, grander than words did any justice to. The cathedral rose like a bright spire to the heavens, made of a light stone and filled with stained-glass windows. A wedding was proceeding into the building, ready to begin the ceremony. Despite her melancholy, a smile rose to her lips.

_Take it. It's yours._

Natsu stopped, panting, his arm lifted to light his way. A sense of pride and excitement filled him as he approached the wood door. Finally, he would enter it. After years of waiting. He eagerly inserted the key into the small slot.

* * *

Lucy settled down on a spot of grass. She had moved to the back of the cathedral, where she found a beautiful little garden waiting for her. She decided that would be as good a place as any to release the ashes.

"Well, here we are then…" She picked up the urn, settling it on her lap and gazed at the large cathedral. There were two other spires, shorter than the first she'd seen, swirling their way into the clouds. It was beautiful, bathed in the golden morning light. It was something truly out of a story. The words she'd read hardly did it justice.

"I don't really know what time of day to do this at," Lucy admitted aloud, "but this feels right." She sighed. "If you'd left proper instructions instead of letters, i would have brought you here sooner—this is goodbye! _The _goodbye." She paused, silently staring down at the urn. Her mother had died months ago, and had left the letters as a puzzle of information for her to pick and piece together. It had been grueling and stressful, and Lucy had been ready for this moment for a long time. But...saying goodbye, even if her mother was already gone, was becoming strikingly hard. She sighed, pulling the urn closer to her chest.

"It's a beautiful place. I can see why you wanted to come here." Her mother, Layla, had never mentioned her childhood city before. She had readily left it once she'd met Lucy's father, although the blonde had no idea why. The town was beautiful, a picturesque world Lucy couldn't help but want to write about. Why her mother had up and left so easily, Lucy was still trying to piece that puzzle together. She wasn't quite sure there was an answer.

"You've been there for me, through everything Mom," she breathed in the crisp morning air. It tasted like sunshine and bright, happy days. All the work of the last few months swelled up in Lucy. She felt the waves of emotion push on her barriers, willing them to break and start spewing all her sadness. But she held it back with an iron wall. She had cried for so long, been complacent for too long. Her mother would not be proud if she sunk back into that life of misery.

Sniffing, Lucy rubbed at her tearless cheeks and looked down at the urn. "Thank you," she said, and pulled off the lid.

She had planned to gently scatter the ashes over the bush of lilies she had seen—they were her mother's favorite—but a sudden wind kicked up, slinging Lucy's hair into her face. She scrambled at the sudden onslaught, and managed to pull her hair back in time to watch the ashes fly to the right.

"Oh no!" She cried, scrambling to her feet. The ashes continued on, a cloud of dark smoke making its way across the trim yard. "No, no, no!" Lucy ran after it.

The wind carried the ashes around a sharp corner, and Lucy nearly tripped, trying to follow after it. She turned the corner, startled by the little slice of paradise she came across. It was another branch of the garden, completely decorated in a colorful assortment of vibrant, rare flowers. Lucy recognized none of them, but she didn't have much time to pay attention as she scanned the area for the ashes. They were nowhere in sight.

"Oh no," she moaned, running a hand over her face. "Of course I would somehow mess this up. Why _wouldn't_ I?" She pulled on her face, grumbling. Now she might actually cry.

"Are you okay, dear?" Lucy jumped, looking up in surprise. She had been so focused on the ashes that she hadn't noticed a small man sitting on a bench. He was elderly, wrinkles all over his tan skin, but his blue eyes were bright and lively. He watched her curiously, a bag of bird seed on his knee, although there were no birds.

"Uh, I," Lucy sighed. "Did you by chance see a, uh, cloud of ashes pass by?" She cringed at how that sounded, but the old man simply laughed.

"I did in fact, but I wouldn't suggest following her. The dead have always been active around this place. She'll find her spot," he said criptively, turning back to scattering seed over the ground. Still, no birds came near him, even though Lucy could hear them chirping in the distance.

Lucy shivered. She wondered how he knew it was her mother's ashes, or what he meant. "I just...I wanted to say a proper goodbye."

The man looked up, and there was an odd spark in his eye. "You've been saying goodbye for months, child. It was time for her to go away."

Unnerved, Lucy stumbled a step back. The man didn't seem to notice her wariness, resuming his seed spreading. Lucy watched him strangely and without looking up he laughed. "If you truly want to chase her, she went into the cathedral. I don't think she would want you to follow her, though. She's finicky like that."

That was when Lucy noticed the small back entrance to the cathedral. She hadn't spotted it before, and part of her could have sworn it hadn't been there. She shook off the odd feeling, wondering how her mother's ashes could have gone through a door. Slowly she made her way over to it, testing it with a small push. It groaned open, unresisting under her palm.

She turned back to thank the man, even if he was odd, but jumped when she found he was gone. Feeling severely unnerved, Lucy quickly stepped into the church, shutting the odd garden out behind her.

The area was oddly chilly. She shivered, hands reaching up to rub on her arm. They were covered in goosebumps. Slowly she entered the area. The cathedral was full of people, patches of multicolored light glistening from the stained glass windows. She backed up against the wall, noting that the wedding she'd outside was proceeding into the small area. White tulle and flowers decorated the area, and a pastor was waiting at the altar with the groom. Lucy carefully edged away, gasping when the wall dropped away from her back.

She looked behind her, surprised to see a set of winding stone steps leading up. She glanced back at the wedding and quickly turned, following the ascending curve. It got colder the higher she went, and by the time she reached the alcove at the top she was shaking, teeth chattering.

Despite the chill, it was a lovely little space. The ceiling sloped upwards to a domed roof that glittered gold in the light of the little windows around it. A large bronze bell sat in the center of the room. It was dusty and old looking, decorated with strange symbols around it's edge. Lucy padded closer, squinting her eyes. She bent down, running her hand across the marking. The dust clung to her skin, revealing a familiar symbol.

Lucy frowned. Why would this old bell have the mark of Aquarius carved into it? Her eyes drifted to the other symbols, and indeed she found that each of the twelve zodiac were placed around the large bell. "How strange," she muttered, running her finger over Virgo's symbol. She knew that in the old days, some people had believed in the power of the zodiac. Even today too many put their faith into horoscopes. They believed the stars dictated their actions or who they were supposed to end up with. Lucy held some fascination with the odd occult, but she didn't put any conviction behind it. It was simply a hobby that her mother had passed down to her. She was more interested in the stories behind them than any fortune they could give her.

She moved away from the bell, spotting two figures at the back of the room. Her chest tightened, but she only found marble statues of angels. They were naked, much to her chagrin, carved in a way that showed off their impressive bodies. Lucy wasn't very interested in that, though she admired the craftsmanship. Rather, her eyes were caught by the wings that extended from their backs. They curved up, coming together to almost meet the other's at a point. Lucy stepped back, observing. If she squinted her eyes, it almost seemed like a doorway.

The blonde's musings were cut short when another gust of wind blew into the space. From where, she hadn't the slightest clue, but it buffeted her recklessly. She grunted, hair flying in her face, and held up her hands to try and protect herself. She noticed a faint glowing in front of her, but was prevented from looking when the wind all but shoved her backwards. She tripped over her own feet, landing on her butt with a groan. Her back collided with the bell, pushing it despite it's huge size. A rich sound exploded from the surface, and she covered her ears with a shout of surprise.

As quickly as it had come, the wind disappeared. Lucy sputtered, uncovering her hands and sitting up. She quickly worked to fix the mess that was her hair. The bell had stilled again, the air still ringing with the reverberations of the hit. Her back leaned against it, the surface surprisingly warm against her skin. Lucy pushed her bangs back with a huff, determined to leave this crazy place. She pushed herself up, stumbling when her ears rang, and turned around.

Only to come face-to-face with the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.

Well, she didn't notice that face at first. Instead, she screamed. A high-pitched girly scream and scrambled backwards. Her heart thundered rapidly in her chest and the man grimaced, covering his ears with a protest.

"Woman!" He said, glaring at her. "Don't yell!"

"Then don't sneak up on people!" She yelped back, one hand clutched over her chest. She was breathing hard, and she worried her heart might just burst from her skin. "Who the hell are you?"

At that he seemed to come back to the situation. He lowered his hands, deftly adjusting his dark clothes. _This_ is where Lucy realized how attractive he was. The man was tall, and well built if the muscles beneath his black clothes said anything. His skin was tanned, a combination of exotic roots and time under the sun. Dark eyes peered at her inquisitively from a well-structured face, but what really had her balking was his hair. It was bright pink, wild in a manner that managed to look lazy and sexy at the same time. By the sudden smirk he offered her, she had a feeling it was carefully crafted that way.

"I," he said with an air of importance, his voice low and sultry. Lucy shivered despite herself, but it was ruined by his next words, "am the Demon King, END."

She blinked at him once. Then twice. Her face twitched, and she wasn't sure whether to laugh or start sobbing. She settled with a croaky, "Who?"

Now it was his turn to balk. His jaw practically dropped, shock ruining his mighty expression. Lucy might have laughed if she weren't so confused herself. His surprise turned to annoyance. "END!" He said sharply, hand pointing to himself. "The Demon King. King of all the world's demons?" He got a little doubtful at the end, noting her still-blank expression.

"So you said," she responded cautiously. Today really wasn't her day. First she loses her mom's ashes, and now she's cornered by some lunatic who believes he's the king of demons. Next thing she knew, her father would be popping out of the woodworking.

"You don't know who I am," he deadpanned, face disbelieving. "How is it you don't know me?"

"Sorry," she said mildly, backing up. He only watched as she began to edge around the side of the bell. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Demon King. But I really should be going. Places to be, y'know." She turned, walking quickly toward the stairwell. She was almost home free when he appeared out of thin air, blocking her path. She screeched again, jumping back with wide eyes. "What the—!"

He flinched at the sharp sound. "Can you stop screaming? It's quite obnoxious."

_Her?_ _She_ was the obnoxious one? "I need to go," she said, trying to move around him. He shifted to stop her again, and Lucy was struck by how much taller he was. She gulped, backing up and eyeing him warily. He was bigger and stronger than her by far. Adding insanity to the list, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to take him on if he tried to attack her. Thankfully, he didn't look angry yet. Just annoyed and confused.

"You can't," he told her seriously. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He held it out on his palm. "I'm looking for someone."

Despite herself, Lucy looked down at his hand. Sitting innocently on the tan skin was a small, golden key. She didn't know why she thought it was a key, it was more of a long stick with an intricate swirling design leading to the top. Lucy's eyes widened when she spotted the familiar symbol at the top. Leo the lion.

"I don't think I could help you," she swallowed thickly, hoping her recognition hadn't shown. The last thing she wanted was to be dragged into whatever mess this guy was in. Drugs surely had to be involved. She was all for helping people, but perhaps the police would be more assistance to him. Preferably with him in handcuffs.

He shook his head wildly, finally beginning to look aggravated. "I'm looking for the keeper of the keys. Tell me who it is." His dark eyes were eager, subtly convincing her to give up what she knew. She looked into them, feeling something tug annoyingly on her brain, but she only frowned and shook the feeling away. It snapped easily, and he reeled back with a confused look on his face. Lucy took advantage of his shock to turn away, slipping around him and heading toward the stairs.

"Can't help you, but good luck with that!" She called over her shoulder, all but sprinting down the steps. She'd made it around the first bend, no sounds of the man pursuing her, when something grabbed her. Lucy barely had time to gasp before she was dragged back up the stairs and all but flung into the room. She hit the floor hard, flinching at the impact. Pain jarred up her elbow, and she looked up to scream, and froze.

A dark shadow stood over her. The Demon King was still standing by the stairs, watching the scene with an unamused frown. The figure before her was all black, partially see-through, almost like smoke. It was humanoid in figure, but Lucy could not see any distinguishing characteristics. Only it's arms stood out from the darkness, fingers ending in sharpened points.

"Holy...what the...oh my—" She stuttered, pure terror making her freeze up.

"God?" The pink haired man filled in for her, sidling closer. He smiled, and for the first time she noticed the sharp points of his teeth. He chuckled darkly. "Not quite."

* * *

**New story slightly based off a webcomic I saw. The first part is based off the pictures it showed, but from there on it won't follow the plot. I just had the idea and I had to expand. Credit for the starting idea to the author. I hope you all enjoy the story :) **


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